Method and system for communicating via leaky wave antennas within a flip-chip bonded structure

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for communicating via leaky wave antennas (LWAs) within a flip-chip bonded structure are disclosed and may include communicating RF signals in a wireless device including one or more LWAs between a plurality of support structures, the structures being coupled via flip-chip bonding. Low-frequency signals may be communicated via flip-chip bonding contacts. The RF signals may be communicated perpendicular to a surface and/or at a desired angle from the surface of the structures, which may include at least one of: an integrated circuit, an integrated circuit package, and a printed circuit board. The LWAs may include microstrip and/or coplanar waveguides where a cavity height of the LWAs may be configured by controlling spacing between conductive lines in the waveguides. The low-frequency signals may include DC bias voltages. The RF signals may be communicated from a single LWA to a plurality of LWAs.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application makes reference to, claims the benefit from, and claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/246,618 filed onSep. 29, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/185,245filed on Jun. 9, 2009.

This application also makes reference to:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,212 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,295 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,277 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,192 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,224 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,176 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,246 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,292 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,324 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/708,366 filed on Feb. 18, 2010;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21202US02)filed on even date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21203US02)filed on even date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21206US02)filed on even date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21208US02)filed on even date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21209US02)filed on even date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21213US02)filed on even date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21218US02)filed on even date herewith; and

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21220US02)filed on even date herewith.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable]

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

[Not Applicable]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communication.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for communicating via leaky wave antennas within aflip-chip bonded structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile communications have changed the way people communicate and mobilephones have been transformed from a luxury item to an essential part ofevery day life. The use of mobile phones is today dictated by socialsituations, rather than hampered by location or technology. While voiceconnections fulfill the basic need to communicate, and mobile voiceconnections continue to filter even further into the fabric of every daylife, the mobile Internet is the next step in the mobile communicationrevolution. The mobile Internet is poised to become a common source ofeveryday information, and easy, versatile mobile access to this datawill be taken for granted.

As the number of electronic devices enabled for wireline and/or mobilecommunications continues to increase, significant efforts exist withregard to making such devices more power efficient. For example, a largepercentage of communications devices are mobile wireless devices andthus often operate on battery power. Additionally, transmit and/orreceive circuitry within such mobile wireless devices often account fora significant portion of the power consumed within these devices.Moreover, in some conventional communication systems, transmittersand/or receivers are often power inefficient in comparison to otherblocks of the portable communication devices. Accordingly, thesetransmitters and/or receivers have a significant impact on battery lifefor these mobile wireless devices.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for communicating via leaky wave antennas withina flip-chip bonded structure as shown in and/or described in connectionwith at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in theclaims.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention,as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be morefully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system with flip-chipbonded leaky wave antennas, which may be utilized in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary leaky wave antenna,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of exemplarypartially reflective surfaces for a leaky wave antenna, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase andout-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna withvariable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view ofcoplanar and microstrip waveguides, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of flip-chipbonded structures with integrated leaky wave antennas, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingsignals via flip-chip bonded structures with integrated leaky waveantennas, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain aspects of the invention may be found in a method and system forcommunicating via leaky wave antennas within a flip-chip bondedstructure. Exemplary aspects of the invention may comprise communicatingRF signals in a wireless device between a plurality of supportstructures with one or more integrated leaky wave antennas integratedwithin and/or on the support structures. The support structures may becoupled via flip-chip-bonding. Low-frequency signals may be communicatedvia contacts defined via the flip-chip bonding. The RF signals may becommunicated between the support structures perpendicular to a surfaceof the structures. The leaky wave antennas may be configured to transmitthe wireless signals at a desired angle from the surface of the supportstructures, which may comprise at least one of: an integrated circuit,an integrated circuit package, and a printed circuit board. The leakywave antennas may comprise microstrip waveguides where a cavity heightof the leaky wave antennas may be configured by controlling spacingbetween conductive lines in the microstrip waveguides. The leaky waveantennas may comprise coplanar waveguides where a cavity height of theleaky wave antennas may be configured by controlling spacing betweenconductive lines in the coplanar waveguides. The low-frequency signalsmay comprise DC bias voltages. The RF signals may be communicated from asingle leaky wave antenna to a plurality of leaky wave antennas.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system with flip-chipbonded leaky wave antennas, which may be utilized in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the wireless device150 may comprise an antenna 151, a transceiver 152, a baseband processor154, a processor 156, a system memory 158, a logic block 160, a chip162, leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, switches 165A-165C, an externalheadset port 166, and a package 167. The wireless device 150 may alsocomprise an analog microphone 168, integrated hands-free (IHF) stereospeakers 170, a printed circuit board 171, a hearing aid compatible(HAC) coil 174, a dual digital microphone 176, a vibration transducer178, a keypad and/or touchscreen 180, and a display 182.

The transceiver 152 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to modulate and upconvertbaseband signals to RF signals for transmission by one or more antennas,which may be represented generically by the antenna 151. The transceiver152 may also be enabled to downconvert and demodulate received RFsignals to baseband signals. The RF signals may be received by one ormore antennas, which may be represented generically by the antenna 151,or the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C. Different wireless systems may usedifferent antennas for transmission and reception. The transceiver 152may be enabled to execute other functions, for example, filtering thebaseband and/or RF signals, and/or amplifying the baseband and/or RFsignals. Although a single transceiver 152 is shown, the invention isnot so limited. Accordingly, the transceiver 152 may be implemented as aseparate transmitter and a separate receiver. In addition, there may bea plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers. In thisregard, the plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers mayenable the wireless device 150 to handle a plurality of wirelessprotocols and/or standards including cellular, WLAN and PAN. Wirelesstechnologies handled by the wireless device 150 may comprise GSM, CDMA,CDMA2000, WCDMA, GMS, GPRS, EDGE, WIMAX, WLAN, 3GPP, UMTS, BLUETOOTH,and ZigBee, for example.

The baseband processor 154 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to process basebandsignals for transmission via the transceiver 152 and/or the basebandsignals received from the transceiver 152. The processor 156 may be anysuitable processor or controller such as a CPU, DSP, ARM, or any type ofintegrated circuit processor. The processor 156 may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that may be enabled to control theoperations of the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. Forexample, the processor 156 may be utilized to update and/or modifyprogrammable parameters and/or values in a plurality of components,devices, and/or processing elements in the transceiver 152 and/or thebaseband processor 154. At least a portion of the programmableparameters may be stored in the system memory 158.

Control and/or data information, which may comprise the programmableparameters, may be transferred from other portions of the wirelessdevice 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156. Similarly, theprocessor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/or datainformation, which may include the programmable parameters, to otherportions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, which may bepart of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The system memory 158 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to store a plurality ofcontrol and/or data information, including parameters needed tocalculate frequencies and/or gain, and/or the frequency value and/orgain value. The system memory 158 may store at least a portion of theprogrammable parameters that may be manipulated by the processor 156.

The logic block 160 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may enable controlling of variousfunctionalities of the wireless device 150. For example, the logic block160 may comprise one or more state machines that may generate signals tocontrol the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. The logicblock 160 may also comprise registers that may hold data forcontrolling, for example, the transceiver 152 and/or the basebandprocessor 154. The logic block 160 may also generate and/or store statusinformation that may be read by, for example, the processor 156.Amplifier gains and/or filtering characteristics, for example, may becontrolled by the logic block 160.

The BT radio/processor 163 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may enable transmission and reception ofBluetooth signals. The BT radio/processor 163 may enable processingand/or handling of BT baseband signals. In this regard, the BTradio/processor 163 may process or handle BT signals received and/or BTsignals transmitted via a wireless communication medium. The BTradio/processor 163 may also provide control and/or feedback informationto/from the baseband processor 154 and/or the processor 156, based oninformation from the processed BT signals. The BT radio/processor 163may communicate information and/or data from the processed BT signals tothe processor 156 and/or to the system memory 158. Moreover, the BTradio/processor 163 may receive information from the processor 156and/or the system memory 158, which may be processed and transmitted viathe wireless communication medium a Bluetooth headset, for example

The CODEC 172 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interface(s),and/or code that may process audio signals received from and/orcommunicated to input/output devices. The input devices may be within orcommunicatively coupled to the wireless device 150, and may comprise theanalog microphone 168, the stereo speakers 170, the hearing aidcompatible (HAC) coil 174, the dual digital microphone 176, and thevibration transducer 178, for example. The CODEC 172 may be operable toup-convert and/or down-convert signal frequencies to desired frequenciesfor processing and/or transmission via an output device. The CODEC 172may enable utilizing a plurality of digital audio inputs, such as 16 or18-bit inputs, for example. The CODEC 172 may also enable utilizing aplurality of data sampling rate inputs. For example, the CODEC 172 mayaccept digital audio signals at sampling rates such as 8 kHz, 11.025kHz, 12 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz, 24 kHz, 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and/or 48 kHz.The CODEC 172 may also support mixing of a plurality of audio sources.For example, the CODEC 172 may support audio sources such as generalaudio, polyphonic ringer, I²S FM audio, vibration driving signals, andvoice. In this regard, the general audio and polyphonic ringer sourcesmay support the plurality of sampling rates that the audio CODEC 172 isenabled to accept, while the voice source may support a portion of theplurality of sampling rates, such as 8 kHz and 16 kHz, for example.

The chip 162 may comprise an integrated circuit with multiple functionalblocks integrated within, such as the transceiver 152, the processor156, the baseband processor 154, the BT radio/processor 163, and theCODEC 172. The number of functional blocks integrated in the chip 162 isnot limited to the number shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, any number ofblocks may be integrated on the chip 162 depending on chip space andwireless device 150 requirements, for example. The chip 162 may beflip-chip bonded, for example, to the package 167, as described furtherwith respect to FIG. 8.

The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may comprise a resonant cavity with ahighly reflective surface and a lower reflectivity surface, and may beintegrated in and/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/or theprinted circuit board 171. The lower reflectivity surface may allow theresonant mode to “leak” out of the cavity. The lower reflectivitysurface of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be configured withslots in a metal surface, or a pattern of metal patches, as describedfurther in FIGS. 2 and 3. The physical dimensions of the leaky waveantennas 164A-164C may be configured to optimize bandwidth oftransmission and/or the beam pattern radiated. By integrating the leakywave antennas 164A on the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printedcircuit board 171 and flip-chip bonding the chip 162 to the package 167and the package 167 to the printed circuit board 171, wireless signalsmay be communicated between devices in the chip 162, the package 167,and the printed circuit board 171.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave antennas164A-164C may comprise a plurality of leaky wave antennas integrated inand/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/or printed circuit board171. The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be operable to transmitand/or receive wireless signals at or near 60 GHz, for example, due tothe cavity length of the devices being on the order of millimeters. Theleaky wave antennas 164A may be configured to transmit in differentdirections, including in the lateral direction parallel to the surfaceof the chip 162, the package 167, and the printed circuit board 171,thereby enabling communication between regions of the chip 162, thepackage 167, and the printed circuit board 171.

The switches 165A-165C may comprise switches such as CMOS or MEMSswitches that may be operable to switch different antennas of the leakywave antennas 164A-164C to the transceiver 152 and/or switch elements inand/or out of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, such as the patches andslots described in FIG. 3. In another embodiment of the invention, theswitches 165A-165C may comprise MEMS devices that enable MEMS actuationof reflective surfaces in the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C.Accordingly, the resonant frequency and/or the angle oftransmission/reception may be configured for the leaky wave antennas164A-164C.

The external headset port 166 may comprise a physical connection for anexternal headset to be communicatively coupled to the wireless device150. The analog microphone 168 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may detect sound waves and convert themto electrical signals via a piezoelectric effect, for example. Theelectrical signals generated by the analog microphone 168 may compriseanalog signals that may require analog to digital conversion beforeprocessing.

The package 167 may comprise a ceramic package, a circuit board, orother support structure for the chip 162 and other components of thewireless device 150. In this regard, the chip 162 may be bonded to thepackage 167. The package 167 may comprise insulating and conductivematerial, for example, and may provide isolation between electricalcomponents mounted on the package 167.

The printed circuit board 171 may comprise an essentially electricallyinsulating material with conductive traces integrated within and/or onthe surface for the interconnection of devices affixed to the printedcircuit board 171. For example, the package 167 may be affixed to theprinted circuit board 171 utilizing flip-chip bonding. In addition, theleaky wave antennas 164C and the switches 165C may be integrated inand/or on the printed circuit board 171 to enable communication of RFsignals between the printed circuit board 171 and devices in the chip162 and the package 167. The number of devices on the printed circuitboard 171 is not limited to the number shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, anynumber of chips, packages, and other devices may be integrated,depending on space requirements and desired functionality.

The stereo speakers 170 may comprise a pair of speakers that may beoperable to generate audio signals from electrical signals received fromthe CODEC 172. The HAC coil 174 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may enable communication between the wireless device150 and a T-coil in a hearing aid, for example. In this manner,electrical audio signals may be communicated to a user that utilizes ahearing aid, without the need for generating sound signals via aspeaker, such as the stereo speakers 170, and converting the generatedsound signals back to electrical signals in a hearing aid, andsubsequently back into amplified sound signals in the user's ear, forexample.

The dual digital microphone 176 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may be operable to detect sound waves andconvert them to electrical signals. The electrical signals generated bythe dual digital microphone 176 may comprise digital signals, and thusmay not require analog to digital conversion prior to digital processingin the CODEC 172. The dual digital microphone 176 may enable beamformingcapabilities, for example.

The vibration transducer 178 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may enable notification of an incomingcall, alerts and/or message to the wireless device 150 without the useof sound. The vibration transducer may generate vibrations that may bein synch with, for example, audio signals such as speech or music.

In operation, control and/or data information, which may comprise theprogrammable parameters, may be transferred from other portions of thewireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156.Similarly, the processor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/ordata information, which may include the programmable parameters, toother portions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, whichmay be part of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The CODEC 172 in the wireless device 150 may communicate with theprocessor 156 in order to transfer audio data and control signals.Control registers for the CODEC 172 may reside within the processor 156.The processor 156 may exchange audio signals and control information viathe system memory 158. The CODEC 172 may up-convert and/or down-convertthe frequencies of multiple audio sources for processing at a desiredsampling rate.

The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be operable to transmit and/orreceive wireless signals between the chip 162, the package 167, and theprinted circuit board 171. Resonant cavities may be configured betweenreflective surfaces in and/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/orthe printed circuit board 171 so that signals may be transmitted and/orreceived from any location without requiring large areas needed forconventional antennas and associated circuitry. Coplanar waveguidestructures may be utilized to enable the communication of signals in thehorizontal direction within the chip 162, the package 167, and/or theprinted circuit board 171.

The cavity height of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be configuredto control the frequency of the signals that may be transmitted and/orreceived. Accordingly, the reflective surfaces may be controlled toprovide different heights in the chip 162, the package 167, and/or theprinted circuit board 171, thereby configuring leaky wave antennas withdifferent resonant frequencies.

The leaky wave antennas 164A may be operable to transmit and/or receivesignals to and from the chip 162. In this manner, high frequency tracesto an external antenna, such as the antenna 151, may be reduced and/oreliminated for higher frequency signals.

Different frequency signals may be transmitted and/or received by theleaky wave antennas 164A-164C by selectively coupling the transceiver152 to leaky wave antennas with different cavity heights. For example, aleaky wave antenna with reflective surfaces on the top and the bottom ofthe printed circuit board 171 may have the largest cavity height, andthus provide the lowest resonant frequency. Conversely, a leaky waveantenna with both reflective surfaces in the same plane of the chip 162,as in a coplanar waveguide configuration, for example, may provide ahigher resonant frequency.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary leaky wave antenna,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2,there is shown the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C comprising a partiallyreflective surface 201A, a reflective surface 201B, and a feed point203. The space between the partially reflective surface 201A and thereflective surface 201B may be filled with dielectric material, forexample, and the height, h, between the partially reflective surface201A and the reflective surface 201B may be utilized to configure thefrequency of transmission of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C. Inanother embodiment of the invention, an air gap may be integrated in thespace between the partially reflective surface 201A and the reflectivesurface 201B to enable MEMS actuation. There is also shown(micro-electromechanical systems) MEMS bias voltages, +V_(MEMS) and−V_(MEMS).

The feed point 203 may comprise an input terminal for applying an inputvoltage to the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C. The invention is notlimited to a single feed point 203, as there may be any amount of feedpoints for different phases of signal or a plurality of signal sources,for example, to be applied to the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C.

In an embodiment of the invention, the height, h, may be one-half thewavelength of the desired transmitted mode from the leaky wave antennas164A-164C. In this manner, the phase of an electromagnetic mode thattraverses the cavity twice may be coherent with the input signal at thefeed point 203, thereby configuring a resonant cavity known as aFabry-Perot cavity. The magnitude of the resonant mode may decayexponentially in the lateral direction from the feed point 203, therebyreducing or eliminating the need for confinement structures to the sidesof the leaky wave antennas 164. The input impedance of the leaky waveantennas 164A-164C may be configured by the vertical placement of thefeed point 203, as described further in FIG. 6.

In operation, a signal to be transmitted via a power amplifier in thetransceiver 152 may be communicated to the feed point 203 of the leakywave antennas 164A-164C with a frequency f. The cavity height, h, may beconfigured to correlate to one half the wavelength of a harmonic of thesignal of frequency f. The signal may traverse the height of the cavityand may be reflected by the partially reflective surface 201A, and thentraverse the height back to the reflective surface 201 B. Since the wavewill have travelled a distance corresponding to a full wavelength,constructive interference may result and a resonant mode may thereby beestablished.

Leaky wave antennas may enable the configuration of high gain antennaswithout the need for a large array of antennas which require a complexfeed network and suffer from loss due to feed lines. The leaky waveantennas 164A-164C may be operable to transmit and/or receive wirelesssignals via conductive layers in and/or on chip 162, the package 167,and the printed circuit board 171. In this manner, the resonantfrequency of the cavity may cover a wider range due to the larger sizeof the printed circuit board 171, compared to the package 167, andsimilarly compared to the chip 162, without requiring large areas neededfor conventional antennas and associated circuitry. Accordingly, RFsignals may be communicated between the chip 162, the package 167, andthe printed circuit board 171.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the frequency oftransmission and/or reception of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C maybe configured by selecting one of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C withthe appropriate cavity height for the desired frequency and with anappropriate direction of transmission and/or reception to enablecommunication between desired locations. Leaky wave antennas integratedon the chip 162, the package 167, and the printed circuit board 171 maycomprise coplanar waveguide structures, either on a surface and/orintegrated within the chip 162, the package 167, and the printed circuitboard 171, such that wireless signals may be communicated in ahorizontal direction, enabling wireless communication between regions ofthe structure. Additionally, leaky wave antennas may be integrated withthe direction of the leaked signal coming out of the surface of the chip162, thereby enabling communication between the chip 162 and externaldevices on the package 167, the printed circuit board 171, and/or otherexternal devices.

In another embodiment of the invention, the cavity height, h, may beconfigured by MEMS actuation. For example, the bias voltages +V_(MEMS)and −V_(MEMS) may deflect one or both of the reflective surfaces 201Aand 201 B compared to zero bias, thereby configuring the resonantfrequency of the cavity.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of exemplarypartially reflective surfaces for a leaky wave antenna, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is showna partially reflective surface 300 comprising periodic slots in a metalsurface, and a partially reflective surface 320 comprising periodicmetal patches. The partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may comprisedifferent embodiments of the partially reflective surface 201A describedwith respect to FIG. 2.

The spacing, dimensions, shape, and orientation of the slots and/orpatches in the partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may be utilized toconfigure the bandwidth, and thus Q-factor, of the resonant cavitydefined by the partially reflective surfaces 300/320 and a reflectivesurface, such as the reflective surface 201B, described with respect toFIG. 2. The partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may thus comprisefrequency selective surfaces due to the narrow bandwidth of signals thatmay leak out of the structure as configured by the slots and/or patches.

The spacing between the patches and/or slots may be related towavelength of the signal transmitted and/or received, which may besomewhat similar to beamforming with multiple antennas. The length ofthe slots and/or patches may be several times larger than the wavelengthof the transmitted and/or received signal or less, for example, sincethe leakage from the slots and/or regions surround the patches may addup, similar to beamforming with multiple antennas.

In an embodiment of the invention, the slots/patches may be configuredvia CMOS and/or micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switches, such asthe switches 165A-165C described with respect to FIG. 1, to tune the Qof the resonant cavity. The slots and/or patches may be configured inconductive layers in and/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and theprinted circuit 171, and may be shorted together or switched openutilizing the switches 165A-165C. In this manner, RF signals, such as 60GHz signals, for example, may be transmitted from various locations inthe chip 162, the package 167, and the printed circuit board 171 withoutthe need for additional circuitry and conventional antennas with theirassociated circuitry that require valuable space.

In another embodiment of the invention, the slots or patches may beconfigured in conductive layers in a vertical plane of the chip 162, thepackage 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171, thereby enabling thecommunication of wireless signals in a horizontal direction in thestructure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a leaky wave antenna comprising thepartially reflective surface 201A, the reflective surface 201B, and thefeed point 203. In-phase condition 400 illustrates the relative beamshape transmitted by the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C when thefrequency of the signal communicated to the feed point 203 matches thatof the resonant cavity as defined by the cavity height, h, and thedielectric constant of the material between the reflective surfaces.

Similarly, out-of-phase condition 420 illustrates the relative beamshape transmitted by the leaky wave antenna 164A-164C when the frequencyof the signal communicated to the feed point 203 does not match that ofthe resonant cavity. The resulting beam shape may be conical, as opposedto a single main vertical node. These are illustrated further withrespect to FIG. 5. The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be integratedat various heights in the chip 162, the package 167, and the printedcircuit board 171, thereby providing a plurality of transmission andreception sites in the structure with varying resonant frequency. Inaddition, a coplanar structure may be utilized to configure leaky waveantennas in the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuitboard 171, thereby enabling communication of wireless signals in thehorizontal plane of the structure.

By configuring the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C for in-phase andout-of-phase conditions, signals possessing different characteristicsmay be directed out of the chip 162, the package 167, and/or printedcircuit board 171 in desired directions. In an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention, the angle at which signals may be transmitted by a leakywave antenna may be dynamically controlled so that signal may bedirected to desired receiving leaky wave antennas. In another embodimentof the invention, the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be operable toreceive RF signals, such as 60 GHz signals, for example. The directionin which the signals are received may be configured by the in-phase andout-of-phase conditions.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase andout-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a plot500 of transmitted signal beam shape versus angle, Θ, for the in-phaseand out-of-phase conditions for a leaky wave antenna.

The In-phase curve in the plot 500 may correlate to the case where thefrequency of the signal communicated to a leaky wave antenna matches theresonant frequency of the cavity. In this manner, a single vertical mainnode may result. In instances where the frequency of the signal at thefeed point is not at the resonant frequency, a double, or conical-shapednode may be generated as shown by the Out-of-phase curve in the plot500. By configuring the leaky wave antennas for in-phase andout-of-phase conditions, signals may be directed out of the chip 162,the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171 in desireddirections.

In another embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave antennas164A-164C may be operable to receive wireless signals, and may beconfigured to receive from a desired direction via the in-phase andout-of-phase configurations.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna withvariable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a leaky waveantenna 600 comprising the partially reflective surface 201A and thereflective surface 201B. There is also shown feed points 601A-601C. Thefeed points 601A-601C may be located at different positions along theheight, h, of the cavity thereby configuring different impedance pointsfor the leaky wave antenna.

In this manner, a leaky wave antenna may be utilized to couple to aplurality of power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, and/or othercircuitry with varying output or input impedances. Similarly, byintegrating leaky wave antennas in conductive layers in the chip 162, orintegrating antennas in the printed circuit board 171 and/or the package167 and flip-chip bonding to the chip 162, the impedance of the leakywave antenna may be matched to the power amplifier or low-noiseamplifier without impedance variations that may result with conventionalantennas and their proximity or distance to associated driverelectronics. Similarly, by integrating reflective and partiallyreflective surfaces with varying cavity heights and varying feed points,leaky wave antennas with different impedances and resonant frequenciesmay be enabled.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view ofcoplanar and microstrip waveguides, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a microstripwaveguide 720, a coplanar waveguide 730, and a support structure 701.The microstrip waveguide 720 may comprise signal conductive lines 723, aground plane 725, a gap 711A, an insulating layer 727 and a substrate729. The coplanar waveguide 730 may comprise signal conductive lines 731and 733, a gap 711B, and the insulating layer 727. The support structure701 may comprise the chip 162, the package 167, or the printed circuitboard 171.

The signal conductive lines 723, 731, and 733 may comprise metal tracesor layers deposited in and/or on the insulating layer 727. In anotherembodiment of the invention, the signal conductive lines 723, 731, and733 may comprise poly-silicon or other conductive material. Theseparation and the voltage potential between the signal conductive line723 and the ground plane 725 may determine the electric field generatedtherein. In addition, the dielectric constant of the insulating layer727 may also determine the electric field between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725.

The insulating layer 727 may comprise SiO₂ or other insulating materialthat may provide a high resistance layer between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725, and the signal conductive lines 731and 733. In addition, the electric field between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725 may be dependent on the dielectricconstant of the insulating layer 727.

The thickness and the dielectric constant of the insulating layer 727and/or the gaps 711A and 711B may determine the electric field strengthgenerated by the applied signal. The resonant cavity thickness of aleaky wave antenna may be dependent on the spacing between the signalconductive line 723 and the ground plane 725, or the signal conductivelines 731 and 733, for example. In an exemplary embodiment of theinvention, the insulating layer 727 may be removed in localized regionsin the microstrip waveguide 720 and the coplanar waveguide 730 toconfigure the gaps 711A and 711B, thereby allowing for MEMS deflectionof the conductive layers and configuring of the height of the resonantcavity. The gaps 711A and 711B may extend completely between the signalconductive layer 723 and the ground plane 725 or the signal conductivelines 731 and 733, or may extend only a portion of the distance.

The signal conductive lines 731 and 733, and the signal conductive line723 and the ground plane 725 may define resonant cavities for leaky waveantennas. Each layer may comprise a reflective surface or a partiallyreflective surface depending on the pattern of conductive material. Forexample, a partially reflective surface may be configured by alternatingconductive and insulating material in a 1-dimensional or 2-dimensionalpattern. In this manner, signals may be directed out of, or receivedinto, a surface of the support structure 701, as illustrated with themicrostrip waveguide 720. In another embodiment of the invention,signals may be communicated in the horizontal plane of the supportstructure 701 utilizing the coplanar waveguide 730.

The support structure 701 may provide mechanical support for themicrostrip waveguide 720, the coplanar waveguide 730, and other devicesthat may be integrated within. In an embodiment of the invention, thesupport structure 701 may comprise Si, GaAs, sapphire, InP, GaO, ZnO,CdTe, CdZnTe, ceramics, polytetrafluoroethylene, and/or Al₂O₃, forexample, or any other substrate material that may be suitable forintegrating microstrip structures.

In operation, a bias and/or a signal voltage may be applied across thesignal conductive line 723 and the ground plane 725, and/or the signalconductive lines 731 and 733. The thickness of a leaky wave antennaresonant cavity may be dependent on the distance between the conductivelines in the microstrip waveguide 720 and/or the coplanar transmissionwaveguide 730.

By alternating patches of conductive material with insulating material,or slots of conductive material in dielectric material, a partiallyreflective surface may result, which may allow a signal to “leak out” inthat direction, as shown by the Leaky Wave arrows in FIG. 7. In thismanner, wireless signals may be directed out of the surface plane of thesupport structure 701, or parallel to the surface of the supportstructure 701.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of flip-chipbonded structures with integrated leaky wave antennas, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8, there is shownmetal layers 801A-801R, solder balls 803, thermal epoxy 807, and leakywave antennas 809A-809J. The chip 162, the package 167, and the printedcircuit board 171 may be as described previously.

The chip 162, or integrated circuit, may comprise one or more componentsand/or systems within the wireless system 150. The chip 162 may bebump-bonded or flip-chip bonded to the package 167 utilizing the solderballs 803. In this manner, wire bonds connecting the chip 162 to thepackage 167 may be eliminated, thereby reducing and/or eliminatinguncontrollable stray inductances due to wire bonds, for example. Inaddition, the thermal conductance out of the chip 162 may be greatlyimproved utilizing the solder balls 803 and the thermal epoxy 807. Thethermal epoxy 807 may be electrically insulating but thermallyconductive to allow for thermal energy to be conducted out of the chip162 to the much larger thermal mass of the package 167.

The metal layers 801A-801 R may comprise deposited metal layers utilizedto delineate leaky wave antennas in and/or on the chip 162, the package167, and the printed circuit board 171. The metal layers 801A-801R maybe utilized to communicate signals between devices in the chip 162, thepackage 167, and/or the printed circuit board 172, and/or to externaldevices via leaky wave antennas. In addition, the leaky wave antennas809A-809J may comprise conductive and insulating layers integrated inand/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuitboard 172 to enable communication of signals horizontally in the planeof the structure, as illustrated by the coplanar waveguide 730 describedwith respect to FIG. 7.

In an embodiment of the invention, the spacing between pairs of metallayers, for example 801A and 801B, 801C and 801D, 801E and 801F, 801Gand 801H, 801H and 801I, 801J and 801K, 801K and 801L, 801M and 801N,801O and 801P, and 801Q and 801R, may define vertical resonant cavitiesof the leaky wave antennas 809A-809J, respectively. At least one of themetal layers in a leaky wave antenna may comprise a partially reflectivesurface, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example, and may enable theresonant electromagnetic mode in the cavity to leak out from thatsurface. In this manner, leaky wave antennas may be operable tocommunicate wireless signals between leaky wave antennas in and/or onthe chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171,and/or to external devices.

The metal layers 801H and 801K may be shared by two leaky wave antennas,such as the leaky wave antennas 809D and 809E, and 809F and 809G. Inanother embodiment of the invention, the metal layers 801H and 801K maybe eliminated, thereby making the leaky wave antennas the entirethickness of the chip 162.

The metal layers 801A-801R may comprise microstrip structures asdescribed with respect to FIG. 7. The region between the metal layers801A-801R may comprise a resistive material that may provide electricalisolation between the metal layers 801A-801R thereby creating a resonantcavity.

The number of metal layers is not limited to the number of metal layers801A-801F shown in FIG. 8. Accordingly, there may be any number oflayers embedded within and/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/orthe printed circuit board 171, depending on the number of leaky waveantennas, traces, waveguides and other devices fabricated.

The solder balls 803 may comprise spherical balls of metal to provideelectrical, thermal and physical contact between the chip 162, thepackage 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171. In making the contactwith the solder balls 803, the chip 162 and/or the package 167 may bepressed with enough force to squash the metal spheres somewhat, and maybe performed at an elevated temperature to provide suitable electricalresistance and physical bond strength. The thermal epoxy 807 may fillthe volume between the solder balls 803 and may provide a high thermalconductance path for heat transfer out of the chip 162.

In operation, the chip 162 may comprise an RF front end, such as the RFtransceiver 152, described with respect to FIG. 1, and may be utilizedto transmit and/or receive RF signals, at 60 GHz, for example. The chip162 may be electrically coupled to the package 167, and the package 167may be electrically coupled to the printed circuit board 171 viaflip-chip bonding. In instances where high frequency signals, 60 GHz orgreater, for example, may be communicated between the chip 162, thepackage 167, the printed circuit board 171, and/or external devices,leaky wave antennas may be utilized. Accordingly, the leaky waveantennas 809A-809J integrated on or within the chip 162, the package167, and/or the printed circuit board 171 may be enabled to communicatesignals from regions or sections within the chip 162, the package 167,and/or the printed circuit board 171 to other leaky wave antennas in thechip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171.

In another embodiment of the invention, leaky wave antennas may comprisecoplanar waveguide structures, for example, and may be operable tocommunicate wireless signals in the horizontal plane, parallel to thesurface of the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the integrated circuitboard 171. In this manner, signals may be communicated between disparateregions of the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the integrated circuitboard 171 without the need to run lossy electrical signal lines. Theleaky wave antennas 809A-809J may comprise microstrip waveguidestructures, for example, that may be operable to wirelessly communicatesignals perpendicular to the plane of the supporting structure, such asthe chip 162, the package 167, and the printed circuit board 171. Inthis manner, wireless signals may be communicated between the chip 162,the package 167, and the printed circuit board 171.

The integration of leaky wave antennas in the chip 162, the package 167,and the printed circuit board 171 and electrical coupling via flip-chipbonding may result in the reduction of stray impedances when compared towire-bonded connections between structures as in conventional systems,particularly for higher frequencies, such as 60 GHz. By flip-chipbonding structures with integrated leaky wave antennas, high frequencysignals may be communicated between via the leaky wave antennas809A-809J, while DC and low frequency signals may be communicated viabump-bonds such as the solder balls 803. In this manner, volumerequirements may be reduced and performance may be improved due to lowerlosses and accurate control of impedances via switches in the chip 162or on the package 167, for example.

In an embodiment of the invention, leaky wave antennas may be integratedin different structures, such as the chip 162, the package 167, and theprinted circuit board 171, with matching resonant frequency leaky waveantennas, such that only sections of circuits that are desired toreceive signals may be configured to receive them. For example, theleaky wave antennas 809A and 809H may have the same cavity height andthus resonant frequency, as compared to the other leaky wave antennas,thereby enabling an exclusive communication link between these antennas.

In another embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave antennas809A-809J may be configured to communicate RF signal at an angle fromthe vertical by adjusting the frequency of the feed signal, as describedwith respect to FIGS. 4 and 5. In this manner, the leaky wave antennas809A-809J may be operable to communicate with a plurality of antennas.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingsignals via flip-chip bonded structures with integrated leaky waveantennas, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referringto FIG. 9, in step 903 after start step 901, one or more leaky waveantennas integrated may be configured to communicate wireless signals bycoupling to RF power amplifiers or low noise amplifiers, for example. Instep 905, DC and/or low frequency signals may be communicated betweenstructures via bump-bonded interconnects. In step 907, high frequencysignals may be communicated between the chip, the package, and/or theprinted circuit board via leaky wave antennas. In step 909, in instanceswhere the wireless device 150 is to be powered down, the exemplary stepsmay proceed to end step 911. In step 909, in instances where thewireless device 150 is not to be powered down, the exemplary steps mayproceed to step 903 to configure the leaky wave antenna at a desiredfrequency.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method and system are disclosed forcommunicating RF signals in a wireless device 150 between a plurality ofsupport structures 162, 167, and 171 with one or more integrated leakywave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 600, and 809A-809J integrated in thesupport structures 162, 167, and 171. The support structures 162, 167,and 171 may be coupled via flip-chip-bonding. Low-frequency signals maybe communicated via contacts 803 defined via the flip-chip bonding. TheRF signals may be communicated between the support structures 162, 167,and 171 perpendicular to a surface of the structures 162, 167, and 171.The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 600, and 809A-809J may beconfigured to transmit the wireless signals at a desired angle from thesurface of the support structures 162, 167, and 171, which may compriseat least one of: an integrated circuit 162, an integrated circuitpackage 167, and a printed circuit board 171.

The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 600, and 809A-809J maycomprise microstrip waveguides 720 where a cavity height of the leakywave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 600, and 809A-809J may be configuredby controlling spacing between conductive lines 723 and 725 in themicrostrip waveguides 720. The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420,600, and 809A-809J may comprise coplanar waveguides 730 where a cavityheight of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 600, and809A-809J may be configured by controlling spacing between conductivelines 731 and 733 in the coplanar waveguides 730. The low-frequencysignals may comprise DC bias voltages. The RF signals may becommunicated from a single leaky wave antenna to a plurality of leakywave antennas.

Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computerreadable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machinereadable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machinecode and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein forcommunicating via leaky wave antennas within a flip-chip bondedstructure.

Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in hardware,software, firmware or a combination thereof. The invention may berealized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or ina distributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or otherapparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein issuited. A typical combination of hardware, software and firmware may bea general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, whenbeing loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that itcarries out the methods described herein.

One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a boardlevel product, as a single chip, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a single chip with otherportions of the system as separate components. The degree of integrationof the system will primarily be determined by speed and costconsiderations. Because of the sophisticated nature of modernprocessors, it is possible to utilize a commercially availableprocessor, which may be implemented external to an ASIC implementationof the present system. Alternatively, if the processor is available asan ASIC core or logic block, then the commercially available processormay be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functionsimplemented as firmware.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext may mean, for example, any expression, in any language, code ornotation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having aninformation processing capability to perform a particular functioneither directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversionto another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a differentmaterial form. However, other meanings of computer program within theunderstanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated by thepresent invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A method for communication, the method comprising: in a wirelessdevice comprising one or more leaky wave antennas integrated withinand/or on a plurality of support structures, said support structuresbeing coupled via flip-chip-bonding: communicating RF signals betweensaid support structures via said one or more integrated leaky waveantennas; and communicating low-frequency signals via contacts definedvia said flip-chip bonding.
 2. The method according to claim 1,comprising communicating said RF signals between said support structuresperpendicular to a surface of said support structures.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, comprising configuring said leaky wave antennas totransmit said RF signals at a desired angle from said surface of saidsupport structures.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein saidsupport structures comprise at least one of: an integrated circuit, anintegrated circuit package, and a printed circuit board.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein said leaky wave antennas comprisemicrostrip waveguides.
 6. The method according to claim 5, comprisingconfiguring a cavity height of said leaky wave antennas by controllingspacing between conductive lines in said microstrip waveguides.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein said leaky wave antennas comprisecoplanar waveguides.
 8. The method according to claim 7, comprisingconfiguring a cavity height of said leaky wave antennas by controllingspacing between conductive lines in said coplanar waveguides.
 9. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein said low-frequency signals compriseDC bias voltages.
 10. The method according to claim 1, comprisingcommunicating said RF signals from a single leaky wave antenna to aplurality of leaky wave antennas.
 11. A system for enablingcommunication, the system comprising: one or more circuits for use in awireless device comprising one or more leaky wave antennas integratedwithin and/or on a plurality of support structures, said supportstructures being coupled via flip-chip-bonding, wherein said one or morecircuits are operable to: communicate RF signals between said supportstructures via said one or more integrated leaky wave antennas; andcommunicate low-frequency signals via contacts defined via saidflip-chip bonding.
 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein saidone or more circuits are operable to communicate said RF signals betweensaid support structures perpendicular to a surface of said supportstructures.
 13. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one ormore circuits are operable to configure said leaky wave antennas totransmit said RF signals at a desired angle from said surface of saidsupport structures.
 14. The system according to claim 11, wherein saidsupport structures comprise at least one of: an integrated circuit, anintegrated circuit package, and a printed circuit board.
 15. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein said leaky wave antennas comprisemicrostrip waveguides.
 16. The system according to claim 15, whereinsaid one or more circuits are operable to configure a cavity height ofsaid leaky wave antennas by controlling spacing between conductive linesin said microstrip waveguides.
 17. The system according to claim 11,wherein said leaky wave antennas comprise coplanar waveguides.
 18. Thesystem according to claim 17, wherein said one or more circuits areoperable to configure a cavity height of said leaky wave antennas bycontrolling spacing between conductive lines in said coplanarwaveguides.
 19. The system according to claim 11, wherein saidlow-frequency signals comprise DC bias voltages.
 20. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are operable tocommunicate said RF signals from a single leaky wave antenna to aplurality of leaky wave antennas.